Vox Pop : Open Forum on 5/27/14 : Automated Traffic Control

Last month we talked about speed cameras in school zones around the region. This month, red light cameras have taken center stage in debate over local traffic control issues, as the city of Albany lobbies the state to implement the technology.

What do you think? Will automating traffic control—that is using cameras and computers to catch traffic violations and automatically fine them—really work? Is the use of technology really effective for safety as officials are claiming, or is it just a way to enhance revenue for municipalities? Or both?

Related Content

Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan and Police Chief Steve Krokoff have thrown their support behind state legislation that would allow the city to roll out a 5-year "demonstration" program to install cameras that would capture images of vehicles that run red lights. Cameras would be mounted at many of the city's most dangerous intersections. The sponsors of the bill - state Senator Neil Breslin and Assembly members Pat Fahy and John McDonald flanked city officials during a press conference at the Pine Hills Library.

Over the last few years, states in the region have tossed the dice on allowing for the development of Las Vegas-style casinos. Today, two development groups dropped out of the running to build a casino in upstate New York, and a new bidder has proposed a casino in the city of Schenectady.

In the studio today on this Medical Monday is Dr. Russell Cecil, a board certified orthopedic surgeon at St. Mary’s Healthcare in Amsterdam, New York. He is founder of Mohawk Valley Orthopedics and his practice focuses on joint replacement and hand surgery.